Better late than meh...

Somebody forgot the Cowbell

2009-04-30T16:31:00.000-05:00

Zanies Comedy Club Nashville

2009-04-11T15:28:00.003-05:00

Last night Angie, Tom, and I went to Zanies to see Patrice Oneil. If you've ever watched Best Week Ever or one of the Web video shows on VH1 you'll have come across him. We went to see Patrice but was introduced to a comedian we'd never heard of Mike Speenberg, and we were thoroughly entertained. All three of us laughed non-stop for 2 hours. Here's a few pics of the evening.

This is Me, Speenberg, and Angie.

Again Me, Patrice Oneil, and Angie

Last week we'd gone down to Zanies to see Joe Rogan and Ari Shaffir opened for him. Heres a few pics of that night.

Me, Joe Rogan, and Angie

Me, Ari, and Angie

I know its old but still great!

2009-03-18T08:20:00.001-05:00

Elizabeth Gilbert on genius

2009-02-10T10:52:00.003-06:00

So far one of the best TED talks so far.

Apple CEO

2009-01-08T09:04:00.002-06:00

I love these crazy shows

2009-01-08T08:21:00.000-06:00

FLOBOTS

2008-12-31T16:21:00.002-06:00

Last night when driving home I heard this song on the radio... it sounded familiar, it was kind of like deja vu. I'm thinking it was on guitar hero 3 but not sure. So I Youtube the name Handlebars, and checked into the group a little more. So far I'm digging the sound and message behind what they do. One of their sites has a great S.L. Clemens quote- "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it." And, if you don't know who S.L. Clemens was.. google it. LOL

iPod Nano giveaway

2008-12-09T10:17:00.001-06:00

http://tinyurl.com/5bzt97 check it out!

2008-11-21T10:35:00.001-06:00

WOOHOO!!!!! It's almost here!

Man I am such a Fatboy....

2008-10-13T10:29:00.002-05:00

I just sent a suggestion to one of my favorite fast food restaurants, Taco Bueno.

"Please for the love of everything Holy open some in Nashville or let me know how to start the business myself in the area. I've been out of Tx for almost 8 years now and only get TB when I'm at home. Which is once every few years."- Charlie R.

There are a few others I'm hitting up too at the moment Taco Villa and Whataburger... but I've been home sick and seeing my friends Cody and Alicia this weekend didn't help too much. Seeing them was great but it made me miss Big Spring for some weird reason.

work update 9/10/2008

2008-09-10T01:04:00.001-05:00

About two weeks ago our CIO had called for a Town Hall meeting again. I actually missed most of the call because there's only Carl and myself on site, and we both happen to be working. When I rang in the Questions and Answers had begun. So I missed most of the information being put out there, I was able to get out with "What is happening to our group FTS?" The reply came quickly. The CIO replied "You guys are no longer in scope, we (Corp & IBM) have looked at what you do and ya'll just don't fit into the picture." So now here we are three months after being told we'd be going to IBM, they've reversed the decision to get rid of our group. The adjustment sort of settled in that we're being given a great opportunity to work for one of the biggest IT companies out there. They happen to be one of the hardest companies to get in with, and now that's been taken away. It was almost like a punch in the gut, or handing a kid a cute puppy and then taking it away from them. But, this has gotten me thinking about where I'm going from here. I've been working on my certifications and getting back into school in January. I don't want to be left behind with my pants around my ankles and unaware of what I can or can't do.

On another note Angie and I will have been married 7 years this month, and we're actually taking our first real vacation at the end of the month. Eleven years out of high school and hitting 30 this month... Man how the time flies, I'm feeling old and tired. So I'm going drink my prune juice and going to bed...

Work Update 7/15/2008

2008-07-15T08:50:00.001-05:00

Ok, so… here’s where things are sitting with work. IBM is coming in to check on what we do here. They’ll be taking over November 1^st of this year. There are 100 of us in the IT department affected; we’re all being offered jobs with IBM at the end of September. We’ll have 7 to 10 days to make a decision on where we go. We have a few options:

1.) Find a job within the corporate infrastructure.

2.) Take a severance package and find employment elsewhere.

3.) Accept the job with IBM.

We’ve been in and out of meetings for the last few weeks since the conference call. So far most of the talks have dealt with the programmers, nothing really with Field Technology. More information is coming, but slowly. The benefits look pretty nice with IBM, and having that on a resume isn’t too shabby either. Hopefully we’ll be hearing something about our department by week’s end.

Uncontrollable Changes

2008-06-28T19:27:00.001-05:00

Thursday morning an all hands on deck meeting went out among our corporate it offices, from here in Nashville, Atlanta, and Golden Colorado. Things seemed fine until we saw the local HR rep. come into the room. When she showed up it threw a little flag up... meaning uh something big is going to go down today. They served us lunch meaning to soften the blow. Most of this meeting on our and Golden's offices happened over a conference call. It was announced that our AS400 group (the AS400 is an IBM technology) were being moved to work with IBM. They listed a few groups in the process. For some odd reason my group was listed last. Field Technology Services (our group) hasn't work with the AS400's in a long time but we've been thrown in there. So for the last three days a few of us have gone through a full range of emotions from anger to fear of uncertainty. I'll be first to admit I've thought "if I wanted to work for IBM, I would have applied with them and spent over 7 years moving my way up through the company on a pretty decent career path. The idea behind this big move was to give the AS400 techs/programmers a new career path to move up and out. This was dropped out of left field. We have three options stay with Manheim in other positions, go to IBM where we're guaranteed a job for now, or move to another Cox company. I'm trying to stay positive about this considering I moved me and Angie down here from Detroit a year and a half ago. With all the questions that have flown around and no answers can be given. Right now I'm going to have to sit back and wait for answers to come. I'll put more info out as soon as I get it.

Finally Finished

2008-06-01T21:20:00.003-05:00

Well its been about 4 months since I last posted. Had a few things going on. Work has been pretty slow lately, I haven't been on the road since going to Harrisonburg VA back in March. The dogs are getting big and better at being house broken. I've pretty much pulled back from podcasting and doing a lot of web2.0 stuff. I've also completed Stephen Kings Dark Tower series. I have to say this has bumped all other books I've read down further on my list of all time favorite books. It was definitely not the ending I was expecting, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Now that I've finished these seven books I'm going to have to pick up the rest of his books that crossed the Dark Tower Universe.

Fridays Feast

2008-01-10T21:03:00.000-06:00

Appetizer
When was the last time you received a surprise in the mail, and what was it?

It's been so long I can't remember.

Soup
If you could have a summer and/or winter home, where would you want it to be?

I'd have a summer home in Northern Michigan. The camping and activities are awesome in the summer there.

Salad
Pick one: pineapple, orange, banana, apple, cherry.

Apple

Main Course
Describe the nicest piece of clothing that you own.

Well if we're going with comfort I'd say my black Old Navy shirt with tribal designs... it's my go to shirt. If we're going out on the town... I really just throw some dockers and a button down shirt on, nothing too fancy.

Dessert
If you could forget one whole day from your life, which day would you choose to wipe from your memory?

The day my grandpa died. I was 18, three weeks from graduation, and the only family member left in town. Everyone else went to Lubbock where he was taken and put on life support. I never got to tell him good by or how much I really loved him.

One question...

2007-12-20T11:51:00.000-06:00

I can stay on strike right?? I mean its a Screen Writers Strike... well I write, it shows up on your screen... hmmmm.... ok move along there's nothing to see here...

I'm on strike still, but....

2007-12-04T09:26:00.000-06:00

Just a quick rant... I'm tired of the monkeys here thinking that our dept can read minds. I asked when a room would be ready to add the finishing IT touches too, and the reply back was "Are you aware we have a pc down?" Seriously... I'm connected to our network via a wireless chip installed in my head, I know all that happens on the network here. Here's a banana have a nice day.

Friday's Feast 10-

2007-11-30T08:46:00.000-06:00

Appetizer
What is your favorite carnival/amusement park ride?

Uh... I'm not too big on rides... don't like the adrenaline rush.

Soup
How do you react in uncomfortable social situations?

Make jokes.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy discussing deep, philosophical topics?

10... especially if theres an argument in it. :0)

Main Course
Did you get a flu shot this year? If not, do you plan to?

No way, they make me sicker than if I got the flu.

Dessert
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend watching television?

Lately not too much, there's nothing good on and I'm in the middle of The Dark Tower series by Stephen King, or Angie and I watch movies. Maybe 10 hours.

still on strike

2007-11-26T13:03:00.000-06:00

dont ask... I'm not telling about thanksgiving either...

BBL

2007-11-20T15:10:00.001-06:00

Writer on strike.... not that I write much anyways.

WHAT?

2007-11-20T09:50:00.000-06:00

Mona lisa had eyebrows?

The site is under construction.

2007-11-14T08:53:00.000-06:00

Changes Coming Soon!

Ubuntu Gusty Gibbon

2007-11-04T21:02:00.000-06:00

Friday I received my copy of Ubuntu Gusty Gibbon in the mail. I found a spot where I could request a free CD when 7.10 came out. I was surprised to find Ubuntu stickers too, this was pretty cool of the company to throw in with the disc. After a few problems I've got it installed on my old P4 dell, and man it's faster than WinXP Home was. I'll put more out as soon as I get more of it figured out.

PEACE!

These aren't the Droids you're looking for.... Move along

2007-11-01T10:29:00.001-05:00

Nothing new to report here, please move along.

Do you want to make more money? Sure we all do!

2007-10-09T17:01:00.000-05:00

marriedtothesea.com

This years Birthday...

2007-10-03T12:45:00.000-05:00

Something you should know about me, I love birthdays and think that each one is special. It finally hit me this week as mine came up that I was going to be 29, my last year in my twenties. It kind of freaked me out. My tenth year high school reunion is happening in a few days back home. It made me think about the things I've done and haven't done. In no way shape or form was this a pity party, I've just been punched in the face with life catching up to me. This was my first birthday away from family and friends, it was just Angie and I. Not that it's a bad thing, I love Angie dearly and she tried so hard to make me feel better. I don't have any idea what I'd do without her. She did really good on my presents too, she finished my collection of Stephen Kings "The Dark Tower" series and a few other things. I think there's nothing better than the gift of a book. It's been a few days since I started this post, and it's given me time to think a great deal more. I think I've been keeping to myself here in Nashville so I don't go through the same separation of friends and family as I did when I left home (Texas) to Detroit. I spent the first six years of my adult life with new family and many new friends. I still stay in touch with them but it's just not the same. It's really made the time here worse than what it really is. I just need to open back up and find some new people to hang out with and enjoy the new life Angie and I have made here. More to come later, and thanks for reading my blog.

Linux I've let you down. RTFM.

2007-09-29T15:31:00.000-05:00

Well I was feeling too big for my britches I guess. I finally messed up the install of Ubuntu Feisty Fawn on my laptop. Along with the Ubuntu mess up, I've corrupted Windows right along with it. So now I'm working with a live cd and backing up the files I can reach on the windows side so it's not a total bust. It's probably good that it happened the way it did, I'm getting ready to move everything to a new Dell D630. So it looks like a have a pretty tough road ahead reinstalling all that I lost. Next time I do a major OS upgrade I'll make sure to Read The Freaking Manual for sure. What I saw of Ubuntu Gusty Gibbon it was nice. So maybe I'll have it all fixed before Monday.

Junkie work week.

2007-09-16T13:12:00.000-05:00

This week has been pretty trying on me. I've been left alone here at work for the next three weeks to deal with about 400 users. This is totally fine, I did this at my old place when I was the system admin. But, here there are more servers and Iseries terminals than the last. I'm also the youngest and least experienced on staff. I've been told that when it comes to jobs with big responsibility youth isn't taken very seriously until you turn 30. Well, I'm about a year and a few days away from that. On to the main issue though, my work ethic has been pretty good. Customer service is something I believe HIGHLY in. I do my job and make sure it's done right the first time. I'm not the fastest worker but I make sure it's quality. This week I was asked to make an update to a program on a SQL server. I've watched it done before and had a book with instructions and my co-worker on the phone when I did this. When I completed it for the person I went to their office to make sure it was in proper working order. When they logged in, the database was missing, not corrupt or given the improper file path, completely missing. When talking with this user, they stated "I was going to do a backup, but, I forgot to do it before you started the upgrade." We both decided it was late and were going to leave for the weekend. The next morning I work with the server group from our home office in Atlanta. While digging through this they notice that the SQL servers have not been updated due to a licensing issue. I get a report that all is lost. Now, I have to tell the group using this server about the entire loss. This is definitely not a fun task to take on. To have to tell someone that six months worth or even one days worth of data is lost. While giving the information the head of the team never questions me or asks how this happens. I make sure there is nothing else that can be done before moving on to the rest of my tasks for the day. Two days later I receive an email from my managers manager, asking what this was. The projects lead who lost all data sent an email to her boss and it was forwarded three times before it reached my departments managers. In the email I am held accountable for all the issues that have befallen their group. I have no problem standing up and saying I failed or messed something up and am ready for the consequences. But, to be blamed for the issue when it's unclear if I did this or it was a programing error is completely uncalled for. Man, here comes the Greyhound and it's rolling over me as we speak. I rarely ever feel like walking out or leaving to cool off, but I came very close. Hopefully something good will come from this, and I'll learn from this little experience.

1984

2007-09-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

I've been on a bit of a literary kick lately. So I picked up 1984 by George Orwell. I wish I had read this when I was younger. If I hadn't been so paranoid already I'd be looking over my shoulder even more than I do now. Big Brother is watching you.

so far not so good.

2007-09-04T12:30:00.001-05:00

just a quick note... I'm not doing to well on this blogging thing. I guess I'm too lazy to type too.

2007-08-29T12:07:00.001-05:00

Oct. 6th 2007- Austin Texas

Next Work Trip

2007-08-10T14:07:00.001-05:00

Well, it's time to hit the road again. I'm heading back to Harrisonburg VA to help set up a network extension. We had a fiber run between buildings, and I'm finishing up the rest of the installation. It's my first solo trip to finish up an auction job. I'll be there for the sale on Tuesday. I'll be posting pictures as the job is being finished up. I'm going to drive out, it's an eight hour road trip. I'm looking forward to seeing eastern Tennessee. I'll update more along the way and I get there.

Savage Chickens: Tech Support Cartoon

2007-08-08T09:01:00.000-05:00

Savage Chickens: Tech Support Cartoon

Books, Coffee, and Camping

2007-08-05T12:48:00.000-05:00

So far this week I don't have much to blog about. Pretty much all I've been doing is work and a few books. Today's been pretty lonely without my wife here with me. I've got Diesel sitting by my side and I'm just chilling with some coffee and the a/c cranked. It's supposed to be 99 degrees today, and I'm not very keen on the heat. I can't wait for fall/winter to get here. This place is going to be beautiful when the leaves start to change along with the weather. So far since moving to Nashville we haven't done any camping, bummer. It doesn't look like we'll get to camp to much the rest of this year, Angie starts work after a 6 month break. She really deserved it too, she works very hard. She's starting a job for one of the companies I work IT with. Which is pretty cool, we'll get to car pool in the mornings and save on gas, she'll be two buildings away, and we'll get to have lunch together every once in a while. After I return from Virginia the week after next we're taking a little trip back to Michigan for some R and R. We're going to try and head back to the campsite we visit every year in Kalkaska MI. It's a great little campground owned by two of the nicest people we met shortly after we were married. I'm really looking forward to seeing some friends I left behind in Detroit. I never really thought I'd call Detroit home, but it seems to have taken a little area of my heart. Oh well enough of the mushy stuff. To the books, so far in the last two weeks I've finished a few books. Harry Potter 7, Singularity by Bill DeSmedt, and (not all of ) Cesar Millan's Dog Whisperer book. I highly recommend Singularity it's worth a good listen/read. Harry Potter was good but not as good as the previous books. It has some great fighting and rallying of the troops, but it does seem to be a mixture of a few other stories, you can determine for yourself though. If you have a dog, the Dog Whisperer book is one to pick up, it helps you understand what your dog is thinking. Now, I'm off to clean on the man room so it can be painted soon.

Tales from the Help Desk

2007-07-31T17:15:00.000-05:00

Many times during the day we all receive spam, today has been no different than any other. We received a frantic call at the help desk because everyone just had the same email delivered to their inbox. The call was placed on speaker phone so I could listen in on it also. The email states you have a Worshiper that has sent you a net card go to this random address to obtain the message. Hmmm I smell something phishy here... It just aggravates me that people who work with computers all day everyday don't take a little time to inform themselves or even ask someone who is in the know what something is. It's like when you have a kid, most mothers tend to find out a little bit about being a mom. Or even guys that go golfing, if you like it you tend to get all the tips and hints about your game where ever you can. I actually attended college to become an Athletic Trainer, and of the many things I learned from my mentor was one of my favorite was "read 25 minutes a day about anything" and use common sense. Think about the question you're going to ask, does it really need to be put out there? Many of the simple questions in life can be solved with common sense, right? We never stop learning and it gives us an opportunity to learn about the world around you. In this case take 25 minutes and learn the basics of the machine you work with everyday. The end of this little story goes , one of the heads of IT had to send out to the whole domain to ask them not to open and click on the link.

Childhood Survey

2007-07-23T17:35:00.000-05:00

I saw this Childhood Survey at Barrons blog.

Mark the things that you have:
[x] A mother
[x] A father
[] Stepbrother
[] Stepsister
[] A younger brother.
[x] A younger sister.
[] An older brother.
[] An older sister.
[x] Grandfather
[x] Grandmother
[x] Cousins
[] Half brother
[] Half sister
[] A twin

01. Are you a child of the 70's, 80's, or 90's?
80's

02. Where were you born?
San Angelo, Texas

03. If you were born in another country how old were you when you moved to the country you live in now?
uh... is anything outside of Texas still considered another country?

04. What city did you grow up in?
Big Spring, Texas

05. Did you enjoy your childhood?
Yeah it was cool, teenage years sucked though... I guess it's what you make of it.

06. When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?
Originally a Pastor...

07. Favorite toy line?
GI Joes

08. Name the first memorable vacation you took as a kid?
Six Flags over Texas

09. What was your first best friend's name?
Daniel

10. Are you still friends?
Heck yeah

11. How did you meet?
High School

12. Can you name all the schools you ever attended?
Altaloma, Marcy Elementary, Goliad Middle School, Runnels Junior High, Big Spring High School

13. Who was your first crush?
I don't remember.

14. Were you closer to your Mom or Dad as a kid?
Mom

15. Do you have any embarrassing school stories to share?
Got knocked out by a girl... yeah yeah laugh it up chuckle heads

16. What was the first record, tape or CD you remember buying?
Genesis We can't dance

17. What was your favorite food to eat?
Pizza

18. How old is a good age to have kids?
I'm 28 now... so still no clue lol

19. Were you scared of anything?
Water... drowning.

20. What was your favorite class in Elementary school?
Science and History

21. Did you buy school lunch or bring your own?
Both

22. Broke any bones or had any freaky accidents as a kid?
just jumped out of a tree house and got a concussion.

23. Been in a school play?
yeah... dont remember them though

25. Did you play house or pretend to be a super hero?
SUPERMAN!

26. Ever got grounded?
Is the sky blue?

27. Seriously are you still just a kid at heart?
Is grass usually green?

28. What was your Favorite memory at the "Roller Coaster"?
Don't like roller coasters.

29. Had any glasses, or piercings?
Glasses yes... pierced left ear.

30. Would you relive your childhood if given the chance?
Naw being older rocks.

Got this from Barron also

2007-07-22T15:24:00.000-05:00

1. Where is your cell phone? no clue as usual
2. Relationship? married
3. Your hair? brown on the head, red on the goatee
4. Work? fun
5. Your sister? one
6. Your favorite thing? tinkering with computers
7. Your dream last night? of course a big mac (what can I say I'm a fat boy)
8. Your favorite drink? Strawberry Koolaide
9. Your dream car? don't really have one
10. The room you're in? The man room at home
11. Your shoes? asic's but I'm bare footed now.
12. Your fears? big bodies of water... and other big bodies hehe
13. What do you want to be in 10 years? an astronaut
14. Who did you hang out with this weekend? my wife/ best friend
15. What you're not good at? cleaning
16. Muffin? cream cheese
17. One of your wish list items? just about anything from thinkgeek.com
18. Where you grew up? Big Spring, Texas
19. The last thing you did? typed the letter r... then some periods
20. What are you wearing? tshirt
21. What aren't you wearing? clean underwear
22. Your pet? Puppy
23. Your computer? acting up as usual
24. Your life? life is good
25. Your mood? cynical duh
26. Missing? sushi
27. What are you thinking about right now? SUSHI
28. Your car? Dodge Durango
29. Your kitchen? apartment kitchen...
30. Your summer? muggy
31. Your favorite color? green
32. When is the last time you laughed? I dont laugh...
33. Last time you cried? when my grandma died two years ago
34. School? should be getting back soon
35. Tag? TN

Thanks Barron!

Fridays Feast - Left overs

2007-07-22T14:57:00.000-05:00

Appetizer
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television?

Depends on the sport... Baseball is my fav, followed by football, and soccer. So a 5, I'd rather be at the game than watch on tv.

Soup
If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick?

The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings

Salad
What is your favorite breakfast food?

Cereal or if I'm in the mood sausage biscuit.

Main Course
Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00.

Watch a couple of matinée movies.

Dessert
How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?

usually before my head hits the pillow.

you can get these questions too at Fridays Feast.

Thanks to Barron for this little questionnaire.

7th Son - Descent

2007-07-22T03:09:00.000-05:00

I just finished 7th Son book one, and starting book two. If you like audio books this is definitely one to get your hands on. It's about 7 men brought together to find a killer and find out they're all clones. They just so happen to be clones of the man they're hunting down. If you like thrillers this is definitely for you. You can get it from podiobooks.com. When looking for these books, you can either have them come to you once a week or if the book is completed you can download it all at once. They're also read by the author themselves, which makes them pretty interesting to hear. They are able to give the voice or accent to the characters they have in their heads. I've downloaded a few books from this site, it's absolutely free of charge, but they do take donations for the authors. I have found a few authors I'd never heard of before using this site. Another great author to look for is Scott Sigler, I listened to Ancestor about a month ago, and have downloaded anything else of his I could find.

Michael Vick

2007-07-18T10:43:00.000-05:00

I've been watching the progress of the indictment of Michael Vick. If you've been out of the loop he's a quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons that has been picked up for illegal dog fighting. The news has been showing the authorities come out of his home with dogs on poles being placed in trucks. They've also been playing videos of what happens in a dog fight. It's disgusting that they'd take these animals and use them for deadly sport. The loosing dog is either killed in the ring or killed by its owner. They will never be able to adopt out these dogs after they've been taught to fight. Luckily there are a few of the animals that never saw a ring, and they have a chance to live good lives and be adopted by a family. Unfortunately the dogs that survive fights can never be adopted and have to be put down. If he's found guilty of this felony, he should be barred from the NFL for life. It looks like the era of the bad boy athlete is coming back, even the Tennessee Titans Pac-man is looking at jail time and possible removal from the NFL. You'd think that in a position like theirs they'd find something better to do with their time. They have so much to loose. There's so many other things that can be done to pass the time, watching animals kill each other for sport is wrong. Here is a fact sheet from the US Humane Society.

On the Road

2007-07-17T18:12:00.000-05:00

Well today is day two on the road. I think I got a bug from someone on the plane yesterday. So I was up all night and of course I missed work. So far this has been the worst trip on the road. The area here in Tucson reminds me of the town I grew up in Texas. Cactus, mesquite trees, and dirt. Not much to do during the heat of the day. While I've been in my hotel room I've watched a little TV. I saw the Al Gore documentary The Inconvenient Truth, it was a good documentary, but they took truths and skewed them a bit. Now on ESPN classics they're playing American Gladiators, that show was so cool back in the day. We used to watch it every Sunday after Church. For now I'm off, I need to rest up and pack for the trip back home.

Ubuntu Weekend

2007-07-03T13:35:00.000-05:00

All I can do is say is Whoa! This weekend I used Ubuntu as much as possible. I started my gaming pc only to find out I have a disc going bad. So I pretty much stayed away from it. Games aren't that important right? Right? Well I made my way through most of the OS with the help of my friend Fabian, he's still learning too, but was a huge help in my step forward in loosing the windows state of mind. There is a pretty big support group among my Jaiku friends. There's even been a channel dedicated to Ubuntu and a channel for Linux. I've also started listening to a podcast from Linuxreality and it's pretty informative and easy to follow. Thanks for all the help guys!

Linux cont.

2007-06-30T23:13:00.000-05:00

This weekend I decided to pretty much have a Linux only weekend. So far so good. Anything I've wanted to work on or do has been pretty easy. After downloading every imaginable version of Linux known to man, I've pretty much stayed with Ubuntu. It was simple to dual boot (especially after consulting with my Linux guru buds Dan and Fab). I ended up having to get a new wireless router, after configuring it I decided to run my Linux laptop with it. I just added the encryption key and WHAM! it's up and running. I haven't had to find any funky drivers for it at all. So I'm going to keep rolling with it. I'm actually thinking of making my gaming machine a dual boot Linux box too (Can't give up Guild Wars or Battlefield 2142 yet). So until next time keep exploring those other options to the big competitors.

Linux

2007-06-27T17:39:00.000-05:00

This week I've gone a little Linux crazy. We use Fedora for our audio/video producers at work. So to brush up on it I've bought a book and so far I've downloaded 10 versions of the operating system. A few friends are pretty heavy into Linux and have offered as much help as I could possibly use. There's definitely a difference in the Linux community than there is in Widows. What's cool about Linux is most everything you find is Open Source and free to the public. I'll post more later on, the further I get down this rabbit hole.

Puppy Mills

2007-06-27T09:33:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking about the puppy I bought for my wife, Angie. I knew she'd never had a puppy before and she loved how Boston Terriers looked and they're kind nature. So I searched the internet for breeders before Christmas '06. I'd never really heard the term "Puppy Mill" before, so I looked for the best deal I could find on a pup. After calling everywhere in the area I found a place in Southern Indiana, can't quite remember the name. They had about 15 different breeds of dog at this "kennel." Confirming they had Bostons I loaded Angie up for her early Christmas gift. We drove from Detroit to Indiana about 6 hours away. I stayed in contact with the owner the whole way down making sure they had the type of dog we wanted. Upon arriving at the home we were greeted with the wonderful smell of hundreds of dogs kept in cages in their home. The place was pretty dirty and the puppies were all crammed into small wire cages with wire bottoms. This should have been a reason to turn around and leave, but we stayed. The owner showed us about 6 Bostons, and one of them was so sick it should have been quarantined from the other animals. We really didn't like the way they all acted. After holding one of them the owner ran out to a barn and brought two more in, one was so tiny and cute we fell in love with him right away. I picked him up and gave him the name Nugget. He snuggled right into my neck and started to sleep. We spoke with the owner and her mom for a bit and noticed Nugget started to cough and wheeze too. He was suppose to have been about 6 weeks old. She said it seems they all had a touch of kennel cough and they'd been giving them vaccinations. I hand over the money and the owner says "I don't know if I should let you take him", I though geez lady you should have told me they were sick before having a 12 hour drive for the day. We finally leave and make the 6 hour ride home. Nugget rode pretty well, he seemed to sleep most of the time. Finally getting him home we noticed his cough wasn't much better. We gave him the medicine that was sent with us. About 2 weeks pass and he goes up and down quite a bit. I took him to the vet and he was given more medicine to take. Another 2 weeks go by and the vet wants to check up on him. He just doesn't seem to get any better only worse. During this time I'd interviewed for a new position with my company at their Nashville TN office. I eventually took the job and Angie and I had to start looking for a new home. We'd left Nugget with a friend for the weekend while we flew down to house hunt. We'd look all around Metro-Nashville for apartments that accepted dogs. The last day there we were unable to fly out because we were flying stand-by. So we ended up back at the same hotel and our luggage waiting for us in Detroit. About 1 am that morning we received a call from our friend who was dog sitting, and told us that Nugget quit breathing and they took him to the emergency vet. He ended up passing that night. It crushed Angie and I, we'd had all these plans to bring him down with us and watch him grow up. I still feel like it was my fault that we'd taken a sick puppy because I was stubborn. But, on the other hand what kind of quality of life would he have at the mill? With us he was loved more than he'd ever known. It had brought a side out of me that my wife had never seen before, that I actually do have a soft and caring side and I'm not as tough as I appear. He'd taught me to be a little softer with my touch and my words.

With all of this happening over a short period of time it opened my eyes to Puppy Mills. I started researching online about the horror stories others had going through these same circumstances. I just want people to become aware of the problems and disgusting way these animals are cared for. Now I'm no PETA activist and I love me some steak and own a leather jacket and shoes. So please don't take this as soap boxing, just think about where you get that animal before making a decision.

This story does have a happy ending. After seeing how bad it affected my wife and I, my assistant and friends pitched in and bought a new puppy for us as a going away present. He's about 6 months old now and healthy and active.

Consider it weird

2007-06-26T15:47:00.000-05:00

I have a weird fascination with Redneck names. I've been naming all of my personal computers at home with traditional southern names like Cletus and Billy Bob. I was thinking of naming my laptop Sue Ellen, but ended up leaving it with charlies-laptop for the name. Along with this I've been chanting "Boy you got a perdy mouth" and thinking about finally finishing "Deliverance." I wonder if this is the affect of me moving back to my southern roots. There has also been a weird draw to banjo music and monster truck races.... am I turning redneck? Is it temporary? Gosh, I hope so.

More Airline Rants

2007-06-17T17:35:00.000-05:00

Earlier last week I few on an airline we'll call USELESS AIRWAYS. I doubt I'll be using them in the future. Last Sunday I had to fly in to Richmond Virginia. Flying out of Nashville isn't as bad as Detroit was. The lines are usually smaller and TSA is a lot nicer to work with. When approaching the ticket counter they had a e-ticket line opened and was allowing business people to run through rather quickly, but this wasn't really the case. The line we were in belonged to the neighboring carrier. So they pushed us over the the first class counter. While waiting I heard rumblings of my flight being delayed. This morning wasn't looking so good already. The weather in southern half of the US was pretty bad and was causing major delays along the way, which is completely understandable and able to take easier than the lack of a pilot or crew. When checking in I asked if I was able to be listed on the next flight from Philadelphia to Richmond. The agent told me you'll be fine you have an hour between flights. So I take the man at his word and head for security. I make it through with no major problems or bag searches. Time for coffee and breakfast. I make it to my gate and wait for the plane to be boarded. The delay stays in affect and we take off about half and hour late. Upon arriving at Philly I'm told my flight will be missed but to hurry to the gate just in case. I among others run through the concourses trying to make our connectors. Unfortunately I miss this flight with 5 others trying to make it to Richmond also. We're sent to another terminal and the next flight is three hours away. The good thing about waiting here is lunch and being able to catch up on some reading. The bad thing is the terminal I'm now at waiting for my next flight has nothing but turbo prop planes. I've never flown this way before. It reminded me of the time my best friend Daniel made it back from basic training and had to fly one. It scared him enough to never want to fly again. So with this in the back of my mind I still go ahead and ready myself for this new experience. I've been on a kick of trying quite a few new things lately. We board and shortly take to the skies. I crank my ipod up and drown out the noise and worry of this plane. Half way through the flight we hit an air pocket and drop. This is about the time I decide to carry clean underwear in my backpack, because I know I've either soiled myself or am about to. Once we've landed the guy across from me decides to give me a little nudge about the flight and gig me a little. Finally, RICHMOND here I am. Now it's a two hour drive to my final destination. Avis takes care of me and throws me a nice new Eclipse. The road out to Harrisonburg was beautiful. I took some time to take in the sites of Virginia and cruise down the highway. The work week was awesome, we finished our job and made the manager of the auction happy and helped bring in more business for July and August. I'm skipping ahead to keep the rant about the way Useless Airways is going. I make it back to the airport three hours ahead of schedule and make it through security in record time. Of course this fat boy has to grab some lunch and check the mail. Waiting for the ticket agent to show up so I can get a better seat goes on for about two hours. She/He never appears. Our plane is delayed and rolling in about 20 minutes late. Still no agent. Of course mother nature is having her say about things this Wednesday also. Every flight in the mid-west and south are delayed. This is of course out of the company's hands. We sit and watch the plane unload it's passengers and still no agent. The plane sits for another thirty minutes and we're now behind schedule again. Finally the crew comes up and notices there's no one there to take the tickets. For some reason there was no announcement that the agents had been short staffed today. They finally find someone to board us and we stay on the ground another 15 minutes. Everyone on the plane was steaming, they finally started taxiing us to the runway and the capt comes on and announces himself as Capt Sponge Bob Squarepants. I really wouldn't want to give my real name out at this point either with everyone as mad as they were. We finally make it into the air, I have a pilot and business traveler behind me. I figure this is a short flight I wont need my ipod or book to read. Of course they start talking about things and I get to listen in. For now I stay entertained. The lady sitting next to me was an older Asian who spoke very little English, she was actually in my seat but I saw them bring her on in the wheelchair so I have no problem letting her stay seated. Half way through this flight the engines start slowing almost to a stop and we start a nose dive. Here's where my new pair of underwear would have been a good plan. Even the pilot behind me throws out a few expletives. I ask him what in the worlds up. He says "I have no clue this isn't a standard operation." The air masks don't come down but it doesn't really calm me that much. After this drop for about 30 seconds we level out and the sign comes on to turn off all electronics. Now I'm shaken and definitely stirred. We're rolling into the gate about an hour late, no one is there to off load us because of the storm that's coming in. We sit for another 10 minutes twiddling our thumbs. We finally get to leave the craft and go to our connecting flights. I found out I didn't miss my connector because they too had been delayed an hour. So I figured it can get better from here. WRONG! We load the plane and the final passengers sit down, then two unaccompanied boys are taken off the plane and we're told to sit tight. Turns our Useless Airways didn't follow the proper policy on unaccompanied minors and let them on the plane without the proper paper work. The cabin door is closed... then reopened after another 20 minutes and the boys reappear and smiling. I'm glad they'll get home to see their parents now. So now after a two and a half hour delay we take off. Every seat on this plane is full and happy to finally be on the way to the next destination. After arriving home 3 hours late my wife picks me up and I'm finally home. It feels good to go out on the road and work these sales but man, it's even better to come home to the best girl and puppy in my world.